Monday, November 30, 2009

Simple, but better (SimpleHuman review)

There are some products we use everyday that we've stopped thinking about as innovations. A trash can is just a trash can. The only thought I usually have about hand soap is whether or not we need to buy more. Most innovation on some household products has pretty much petered out.

simplehuman has taken common kitchen and bath essentials, and thought, how can we do this better?

simplehuman allowed us to sample a few products.

This two-in-one is perfect for our small apartment kitchen. It could also be used nicely in other rooms of the house - the bedrooms or office, for example. There's the obvious convenience of having both a trash can and a recycling bin in one receptacle, but there are other conveniences as well.

The receptacle's finish is fingerprint-resistant. I also like the fact that the lids don't slam shut, but instead, close silently. But my favorite part is the tuck tool in the back of each bin to gather the excess of the liner bags. (While the company offers can liners of each type, this feature allows you to use the bags from anywhere.) And a 5-year-warranty is always a nice touch!

I'm obsessed with the cotton swab holder (not yet available online). I know that sounds silly, but I've never liked the packaging that most cotton swabs come in. This product allows me to keep them nicely on the bathroom counter, and buy the cheapest cotton swabs, regardless of their packaging.

The most exciting product we've tried is the sensor soap dispenser.

This was incredibly easy to put together with the use of one screwdriver and 4 AA batteries. There are 4 different levels of dispension, including one for hand lotion. The girls think it's the coolest thing ever, and it also saves me money because I can buy hand soap in bulk packages and simply re-load instead of paying for a new pump dispenser every time. And it comes with a 2-year warranty.

Riley has fun cleaning with the microfiber mitt kit and since they only use water, I don't have to worry about her using too much cleaning product!

My complaint would be that, as well as they design products that can be used for apartment-dwellers, their prices are a bit out of reach for too many of us that live in them. I'd never heard of this company before they approached me for a review because they sell at Bed, Bath and Beyond - a store that is beyond my usual shopping! They now have their own stand-alone retail shop in Los Angeles, but I'd still prefer to shop online at their site instead, as long as they continue to offer free shipping on most products.

Since I've learned of them, I've started developing a wish list for things simplehuman should create: children's bedroom organization is at the top of that list! And while they've started offering some laundry products, they still haven't hit upon the perfect answer for my trips down to the laundry room.

simplehuman is keeping in mind what's important to me as a consumer: long-lasting products that have just that much more thought put into them to make my life just a little bit easier.Photos courtesy of simplehuman. I have not been paid for this review, but I did receive the products to sample free of charge.

About Me

April's current titles/labels include the following: full-time paralegal, full-time autonomous mother of two teenaged daughters, chauffeur/commuter, personal finance junkie, and blogger. April finds her balance of it all by blogging here. April resides in Los Angeles(ish), CA.